It is desirable to produce three-dimensional lamp modules having highly realistic appearing replicas of wood, rock and marine specimens. Such modules could be placed along a pathway to a home to enhance the landscape and aid in the illumination of the pathway in darkness by directly lighting the pathway. If the landscape is rocky, the lamp modules would preferably be realistic replicas of rocks. If the landscape is located along the seashore, the lamp modules could be realistic replicas of sea shells or driftwood. The lamp modules would appear to be natural rocks, seashells or driftwood during the day and would look like lamp modules only when illuminated.
The desired lamp modules are fairly small and heavy so that if they are used to directly illuminate pathways to a home they need not be anchored to the ground and will remain in place due to their weight. This is in contrast with U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,594 to Fredrickson who teaches use of a thin shell having a thickness of one sixteenth of an inch that simulates a rock for covering lamp fixtures somewhat in the manner of a blanket. Since the shell is light it has to be affixed to the ground with spikes or the like to stop wind and rain from uncovering the lamps. This is in contrast with the present invention that is preferably made from heavy material such as concrete to eliminate the spikes. Due to the “blanket” shell, the lighting effect is diffuse where the preferred embodiments of the invention can provide direct lighting for use beside pathways or on the tables of dimly lit nightclubs. Also, our replicas are full-bodied three-dimensional realistic replicas of natural specimens in contrast with the Fredrickson arrangement. In other words our method can produce an exact copy of the specimen.
FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,934 to von Kohron and, O'Connell U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,359 likewise teach the shells having surface textures simulating rocks that “blanket” lamp fixtures. These patents also do not involve direct lighting of pathways or other selected areas such as nightclub tables to be illuminated. They do not provide full-bodied solid simulated “natural” objects having discreet lamp storage portions molded therein; likewise with respect to Christiansen U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,290.
Also, battery powered lamp modules may also be placed on tables or shelves in dimly lit restaurants or nightclubs to enhance the atmospheres therein. They would be good substitutes for candles which some people find objectionable. Also, candles emit overly strong light, are messy to maintain, and can be smelly. For example seafood restaurants could use the “seashell” or driftwood modules. For these applications the lamp modules could optionally contain a micro-processor such as a PIC 16F84 for producing lamp flicker to simulate a flickering candle; see U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,718.
Also, in contrast with the present invention, in our opinion it is not practicable to cut optical component storing cavities enclosed within actual specimens of rocks, seashells or the like.